Hope Rekindled
by Lady Kyree
Summary: Peter Pettigrew is discovered two years after that fateful Halloween night. A free Sirius is able to fulfill his promise to James and raise Harry. Dark forces continue to threaten his young godson, however; will they manage to survive as a family?
1. A Traitor Revealed

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling._

**Author's Note: **Rated T _just_ in case, for violence, some language and mentions of abuse in future chapters. Kind of AU because of the altered timeline. This is starting off in Remus' point of view, but the story is going to be centered on Sirius and Harry, and what could have been had Sirius been released ten years earlier. Enjoy!

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Remus Lupin muttered incoherently to himself as he strode down the snow covered street. He had yet again been refused a job because of his…condition. The manager's sputtering voice still rang in his ears; _I refuse to let a… a blood-thirsty, savage _beast _into my store! Get out! Get out _now_!_

_It's only one day a month that I'm not fit to work, those prejudiced fools... _he shook his head, and his irritation was quickly turned into pity. People and their ignorance, their inability to look past their biased, blind views… The werewolf bit his lip in thought and tucked his hands into the pockets of his old, tattered overcoat.

He was in a rather foul mood. And why shouldn't he be? He was tired of doors being slammed in his face. His life for the most part had been all but promising lately. Just over two years earlier, he had lost all four of his dearest friends in one night. Two to Voldemort, one to another so called 'friend', and one to the dark side.

For several months he had cooped himself up in his house. He felt as though all he could do was wallow in his own grief, in his failure to stop what had happened, and in his anger at the man they had all trusted. The least he could do was take Harry in, James and Lily's baby boy, he owed that much to them- but he was quickly told this was, of course, not possible.

It was a miserable time, the very worst of his life. His friends had been his family. To be left completely _alone_, and so suddenly had emptied and drained the young man.

He knew that he had to somehow continue living, though, and had eventually forced himself to get out of his small cottage. It had seemed to be closing itself on him, trapping him in his loneliness. He had numbly gotten up and continued where he had left of with his search for a job. No such luck had been granted to him in the year that passed, and Remus felt his patience wearing very thin.

As he passed by closing stores, he absentmindedly eyed Christmas decorations hanging in the windows. The sight of a smiling Santa toy flying around in his sleigh and the faint sound of holiday tunes playing did little to lift Remus' spirits. He watched as children giggled and chased each other with snow in their hands down the sidewalk, accidentally bumping into a young couple, their stern faced parents rushing after them. He suddenly felt very old, hardly like he was in his early twenties.

The cold, crisp air nipped at him and he shivered, deciding it was time to head home. Tomorrow would be a new day, he hoped weakly; there were plenty of other places to look for employment. As he burrowed his chin into his neck for warmth, he continued his stride and spotted a group of multiple redheads exiting a store.

_The Weasleys,_ he thought as a tiny smile played at his lips. He'd recognize the large fiery haired family a mile away. Molly Weasley was ushering her children along as the older two- they looked like twins- were laughing loudly at a younger brother, whose cheeks were pink with embarrassment.

"You two, quit picking on your little brother! Don't you listen to them, Ron," he heard Molly say sternly, holding Ron's small hand as she shot a warning glare at the two still giggling boys.

Before Remus could idly wonder what the mischievous looking boys had done to embarrass the little boy- he couldn't be older than four, _about Harry's age_, Remus thought sadly- another son of Molly's exited the shop. He was holding what looked like a pet rat in his gloved hands.

"Percy dear, you really shouldn't have brought Scabbers along, it's far too cold..." Molly was saying, but Remus was no longer listening. His gaze lingered on the rat.

Something sparked in Remus' foggy brain, and a faint but familiar smell overwhelmed his heightened senses. His stomach dropped. After a moment of shock he picked up his pace, squinting at the small creature in the boys hands as he walked. This was absolutely ridiculous of him, he tried to tell himself; his friend was dead, lots of little boys owned pet rats, it could not _possibly_ be, but that smell-

The rat, now squirming frantically in young Weasley's grip as he seemed to catch sight of a rather wild looking Remus, was missing a toe.

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Please review, it's much appreciated! :)


	2. An Innocence Proven

**Author's Note: **Thank you guys SO much for the reviews! I'm not sure yet how many chapters this story will be, but I know it will be pretty long. Still welcoming any feedback or suggestions any of you may have. Here's chapter two. :)

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Sirius Black made his way through Azkaban, suddenly deaf to the shrieks of the mentally unstable prisoners screaming at him through the bars. He was in awe. He felt strangely as though he were walking through a cloud. Was this a dream? Or a cruel joke?

"You are free, Sirius," Dumbledore had smiled down at him in his cell, rather sadly. "Pettigrew has been found, and under questioning has been forced to reveal the truth." Sirius had stared up at him, mouth agape. His mind slowly wrapped around this new information. Wormtail… had been found? The traitor,the cowardly rat of a man who had ripped his life away from him, had been discovered. And Sirius was free. "How…?"

Dumbledore was leading him through and out of the prison, and so dazed was he that Sirius for the next few hours did not fully comprehend what went on around him. Several people appeared and were talking to him, cautiously shaking his hand and giving shaky 'congratulations', asking him questions, explaining what would happen to him now, but he felt as though he couldn't hear a word.

He was free. He was _free_.

Eventually Dumbledore was gently leading him away from the chaos. Before he knew it he was in the old headmaster's office. The once familiar room now seemed foreign to him; it was far brighter and livelier than his gloomy, dreary cell in Azkaban.

And it was oddly quiet. No insane yells, no hysterical high-pitched screams as inmates cowed away from hungry Dementors lurking outside their cells. The silence was strange to his ears.

Sirius blinked- he must have been dreaming. Only hours before he was positive he was going to rot away as an innocent man in prison, forever haunted by his memories of that horrible night… he shuddered as Dumbledore shook him out of his thoughts, turning to him and smiling softly.

"Everything has been worked out- you are a free man. I'm terribly, terribly sorry, my dear boy, about all of this." The old man's blue eyes were filled with a deep sadness and regret. Sirius had to look away. He felt his insides boil with a familiar anger, at everyone; he should have never been sent away in the first place.

Over two years of his life had been wrongly taken away from him... thanks to the rat.

Dumbledore placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, and after a few moments of staring at a wall, Sirius met his gaze. "Where is Peter now?" he asked, his voice terribly raspy and disused. He cleared his throat. "Who discovered him?"

"Peter is back at Azkaban prison, awaiting his fate in a prison cell. Yes, he will receive the kiss," he answered slowly at Sirius' questioning gaze. "As for the one responsible for finding him; well, I believe I'll let him tell you his story." His eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles, and he gently gestured towards the doorway.

Sirius turned and there Remus Lupin stood awkwardly, watching him with his hands in his pockets. The man gave a small smile, and all Sirius could do was stare back.

Remus had found Peter… Remus knew… he walked across the room and the two men quietly stood in front of one another. Sirius cleared his throat again, but Remus was the first to speak.

"Sirius, my old friend, I'm so sorry. I spotted Peter in Diagon Alley, and it took me a bit to figure it out... and I should have given you a chance to explain, I never did-"

"Thank you," Sirius said hoarsely, cutting the man off, still staring at him and around the room as though he were in some surreal world. "It's alright. Thank you." For the first time in years, Sirius smiled. It was small and forced and felt strange, and he got the feeling it looked more like a grimace. Remus gave him a small but kind smile in return, reaching out to grab his shoulder.

At once Sirius grabbed his friends arm and pulled him into a brief hug, patting his back. "I missed you, Moony," he said gruffly, an ache of loneliness returning in his chest. He involuntarily shuddered as very recent, vivid memories or long days in prison struck him. Remus pulled out of the short embrace and smiled warmly, patting his friends arm.

"I missed you too, Padfoot, it's been far too long. I'm happy to have you back." His eyes were slightly glossy.

Sirius nodded and smiled again; this one felt more real. He turned back to Dumbledore, who was smiling reminiscently at the pair of friends whilst grabbing a candy from the dish on his desk.

"Lemon drop?" he offered as he popped one into his mouth, gesturing towards the bowl. Both men shook their heads, and the old wizard took a seat at his wooden desk.

A sudden thought popped into Sirius' brain; a very, very important one. This particular thought brought a surge of life back into Sirius and snapped him out of his wonderstruck daze. He strode to Dumbledore's desk and placed his palms on it, leaning slightly towards his old teacher.

Dumbledore looked up at him, his brow slightly quirked in question.

"Where's Harry?" Sirius asked. "I know I've only been free a few hours now, Professor, but- I'd like to see him." He _needed_ to see him; that little boy, along with the knowledge that Sirius was innocent, kept the man sane during his horrific stay in Azkaban. Harry had provided him the hope to keep grasping onto life.

Revenge on Peter was a very, very close second; his desire to tear the man in two fueled his will to live, if not in the healthiest way. But Harry... during the darkest and most empty days of Azkaban, Sirius would think of his godson. His best friend, his _brother_, was dead, which was enough to nearly hurl Sirius over the edge, but his son was out there somewhere. The most innocent and beautiful thing left in the world. If nothing else, he had endured and survived because of Harry Potter. James' son.

Dumbledore smiled at him fondly and chuckled at the young man's sudden eagerness. "Ah, yes, dear boy, I was beginning to wonder when you would ask about young Harry." He paused, and his expression turned rather grave. "You will not be able to see him immediately, I'm afraid. But once you've straightened everything out a bit and have taken care of the arrangements that are needed for yourself now that you're free, I'm certain a visit will be possible."

Sirius frowned and was silent for a moment. "Sir, I was... I was hoping to take Harry to come and live with me. I'm his godfather, and Lily and James said if anything ever happened to them-"

Dumbledore interrupted him with a gently raised hand. "Yes, indeed, and I have no doubt you'd do wonderfully as his guardian. However... due to circumstance, Harry is safest where he is now, with his aunt and uncle."

Sirius looked confused. "Why there? I'd protect him with my life." He was free, but wasn't going to be allowed custody of Harry?

Dumbledore nodded. "Of that, I certainly have no doubt. But there are blood wards protecting Harry while he continues to live in the Dursley's home. Lily saved Harry that terrible night; she died and left a protective magic of some sort over Harry. Voldemort was not able to destroy little Harry," he explained softly, "because of Lily's sacrifice. Her selfless act of love caused the curse to rebound off of Harry back to its caster."

He tiredly set his chin in his clasped hands and stared out the window; the sun would be setting soon. Flakes of snow were falling and settling around the window's edges. "The Dursleys are Harry's only remaining blood relatives. He is safe there, as Lily's protection remains on him. While I wish to give Harry to you as his parents had wished, you must understand why it is the best option."

Sirius stared at the desk with a small frown, letting this information sink in. He felt his heart sink down his chest in discouragement. He wouldn't be getting Harry... he nodded, but wouldn't look Dumbledore in the eye.

"Yes, I see... but Albus, I'd like to see him. I want to see how he's grown." For reasons he couldn't quite put his finger on, thinking about Harry's current whereabouts made his stomach churn uncomfortably. He could vaguely recall Lily's description of her sister being rather unpleasant.

Dumbledore smiled brightly. "Yes, of course, that will be perfectly fine. In the meantime, Remus," he addressed the man still standing a few feet away, "if you could, would you please assist Mr. Black with adjusting and settling back in with society?" he winked, and Remus nodded, taking this as his and Sirius' cue to leave.

"Thank you, Dumbledore," said Sirius quietly as they left the room. He supposed he wasn't best suit to be raising child at this time, anyhow, but the thought of being with James' son soothed the hollow ache that had been residing in his chest the past couple of years.

Crestfallen as he was, he begrudgingly decided he'd continue to trust Dumbledore's judgment. When asking for custody, he'd ignored the fact that his godson had already _had_ a home for two years now. Harry had probably grown used to his relatives as his caretakers, anyway. He likely wouldn't react well to a strange man waltzing in asking to whisk him away.

He wondered how the Dursleys were, exactly. Maybe Lily's sister had matured since her and Lily's school days? Was Harry still a spitting image of James? He'd be around three and a half now, Sirius quickly calculated. He suddenly found himself grinning like a madman. The first true, large grin he'd had in years.

He was going to see Harry soon.

He looked over at Remus, and his grin widened further. He was with his best friend again. Walking alongside him through Hogwarts as not an acclaimed mass murderer, but a free man. Remus caught this and smiled back, without knowing why.

Sirius was no longer going to be alone.

For the first time in _years_, he found a tiny part of him daring to hope that things just might be okay.

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**Author's Note: **There's chapter two! Thanks again to anyone who's reading. :D


	3. Dursley, I Loathe Thee

**Author's Note: **Thank you SO much to everyone who had been reading and reviewing! I really appreciate each of you! You guys are encouragement for me to keep going :) Here's chapter three, Sirius meets the ever lovely Dursleys... hope you guys enjoy!

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The week and a half between his release and finally visiting Harry had been busy, to say the least.

He'd quickly found a house for himself. It was a fairly sized, not oversized and not cramped, two story home he'd found out in the countryside. It had a large amount of yard, and a ways behind it were woods. It was not very far from Remus' home. It had an extra bedroom, as well, so if ever his godson would like to visit he'd have somewhere to stay.

At one point he'd received a letter from Cornelius Fudge, clarifying the Minister's release of Sirius from Azkaban prison and alerting him he'd be receiving over 300,000 galleons for his wrongful imprisonment.

The first time he had looked in a mirror after leaving prison he had almost yelled out in shock. His once admittedly very handsome face was now gaunt and pale. He looked like a living skeleton, and looking at himself for too long gave him the chills.

He'd had his long, tangled and dirty hair cut, and was filling back out as he was eating normally. He was slowly beginning to look more like his old self, like an actual person, with each new day.

He had tried to ignore the stares and hushed whispers of people when he had gone to retrieve money from Gringotts and done his shopping in Diagon Alley. He had felt almost like a corpse walking among the living there, like he didn't quite belong in these people's world.

An odd feeling, indeed.

His release had been publicized almost immediately; **Sirius Black, convicted mass-murderer, declared innocent and freed of all charges.** Judging by the gawking stares and panicky reactions of people, not everyone was wholly convinced that he wasn't a ruthless Death Eater ready to blow up everybody on the street.

At the very least, he'd had Remus along with him whenever he'd make trips out to the public. Having his old friend with him had helped things immensely. They had quickly gone back to being their old selves around one another, joking and laughing as they used to in their more carefree days.

A tiny amount of discomfort remained between the pair, however. It was as though a very thin, almost invisible wall existed between them. Sirius knew there were still things that needed to be said. Before Sirius had been locked away, they hadn't been on the best of terms; they'd been suspicious and untrusting of each other. They'd have their talk one day, hopefully soon, once things settled down a bit.

And, there was Peter Pettigrew. Hatred for the rat continued to flow through Sirius, and he carried it with him everywhere he went. Though he knew the man was going to be getting what he deserved, the thought of what he'd done still filled Sirius with rage. He'd had a strong desire to be the one to kill him, to get total revenge on the vermin and show him just what he thought of him- but Sirius repeatedly reminded himself to stop thinking about his former friend. He'd done enough of that in Azkaban- at this point, there was nothing more that could be done.

For now, he needed to try and remember how to be normal. He had to try to pick up his life where he'd left off. That was probably why he was so eager to see Harry again.

While shopping for himself, he had picked up a Christmas gift for Harry. Christmas was nearly two weeks away still, but he was hoping to stop and see the boy before then, in case his family was planning on being gone for the holiday. Uncertain about what a three year old would like, he'd settled on buying a miniature toy Quidditch set. It included small cartoonish figures of the Chudley Cannons' players.

Not too early to get the boy on the right track and liking the right teams, he'd thought with a smug smile.

And now, a week and a half after his release, here he stood anxiously at the door of number 4 Privet Drive. He knocked the door, shifting his weight from one foot to another and holding Harry's wrapped present in one arm.

He heard muffled voices from inside the house, and moments later was greeted by a rather large and puffy-faced man. Sirius blinked. The man seriously must have been the size of a baby whale.

"Why hello, how may we help you?" the man- Vernon, wasn't that his name? - asked him loudly. A blonde, horse-faced woman wearing an apron appeared behind him with a sugary smile.

Petunia, Sirius presumed. _Lily clearly got the good end of the gene pool_, he thought to himself as he noted how abnormally long the woman's thin neck was. He mustered up his most charming smile for the couple.

"Hello, uh, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. So sorry to stop by unannounced, but uhm… I was friends with your sister, Lily." He nodded his head at Petunia, whose face at once dropped its smile and turned a curious shade of pink.

"I'm Harry's godfather, and I was wondering if I could pay him a visit."

Petunia had pressed her lips together and now looked appalled. Vernon's face was turning an odd color as well. Sirius switched his gaze between the two of them, confused.

"The boy's godfa- you want- y-you're one of _them_!" Vernon spat, the rolls on his chin quivering. He stuck a stubby finger into Sirius' face.

Sirius stared at Vernon as if he'd grown another head, his brows crinkled. "Beg your pardon?" was all he managed.

He saw Petunia hurry off into a different room. Vernon continued to glare furiously at him. "_Your _kind… is not welcome here. It's bad enough of your lot to leave the little _freak_ on our doorstep, and take advantage of the kind and loving people we are-"

"_Excuse_ me," Sirius snapped, his bafflement quickly melting into anger. "_My_ kind? 'The little freak'? How dare you-"

"-and if the boy had a bloody godfather this entire time, tell me, why on earth are _we_ stuck with him?" Vernon roared, spittle flying from his mouth. "Graciously bringing him into our home, giving him a roof over his head and giving him _our_ food, none of which he deserves! All the while putting up with his freakish antics-"

He stopped suddenly as a wand was pointed dangerously near his face. His eyes bulged and his jaw snapped shut, and he started to sweat profusely.

"One more word, Dursley, and I will not hesitate to hex you through the wall," Sirius warned, his voice forcibly calm. "Insult the kid again, and I swear I will. Understand?"

Taking Vernon's shaking and his silence as a 'Yes', Sirius lowered his wand. He saw Petunia in the other room, shooing the fattest little boy he'd ever seen away from the scene. He was licking chocolate off of his pudgy hands. Overhearing Petunia's muttered "Come along, Duddkyins, let's get far away from the strange man," Sirius noted -with some relief- that that was not Harry.

He turned his focus to Vernon once again, who looked half frightened out of his wits and half enraged, and opened his mouth to ask 'Now, would you kindly lead me to my godson, you fat oaf,' when a tiny head peeked out from the other room.

This little head, whose raven hair was messy and stuck up just like James', and whose eyes were startlingly bright green just like Lily's, was watching Sirius with curiosity.

The trembling whale of a man in front of him momentarily forgotten, Sirius returned his godson's gaze and felt his face light up with a large grin. "Hi, there," he said, stepping a bit closer to the boy. His eyes were drawn to the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, and Sirius felt a strange pain in his chest.

Harry Potter looked uncertainly from this strange man to his uncle and back to the strange man. Seeming to be encouraged by Sirius' warm smile, he gave a small shy smile in return. "Hi."

Sirius' heart filled with fondness as he observed Harry. The kid was beautiful. Sudden tears sprang to his eyes and he quickly blinked them away in surprise. He kneeled before Harry and held out the gift with one arm. "Merry Christmas, Harry. I brought you an early gift. I'm your godfather, and my name is Sirius Black."

Though Harry probably wouldn't know what a 'godfather' was, he was eyeing the present with wide eyes. As he shyly stepped into the room completely, Sirius was made aware of his godson's clothes being about four times too large.

"A presen'?" Harry gawked. He looked at Sirius with incredulous eyes, and Sirius would have found his dramatic expression amusing if he weren't struggling so much to keep his anger at bay.

Vernon seemed to find courage enough to speak again, as he suddenly rounded on Sirius. "If that thing you're giving him has anything to do with-with-_magic_, the boy will not be taking it. We don't tolerate that nonsense in this house."

Little Harry seemed distressed at his uncle's raised voice and he backed up a bit.

"Nonsense?" Sirius repeated in a clipped tone. "Your nephew is magical, Dursley. That 'nonsense' is the world he belongs to." He had seen the fear in Harry's eyes and his weary suspicions of what was going on in this house were confirmed.

He had obviously been wrong, hoping Petunia's family had changed any, hoping they had found it in their hearts to love Harry. Harry was not loved here. Harry was… _loathed_ here.

The thought made him almost physically ill. This family, and the way they threw the word 'freak' around and talked about Harry as though he was a thing and not a person… what the hell was Dumbledore _thinking,_ leaving Harry with these people? Had the man gone completely senile? This family's dislike for magic folk, especially for Harry, was clear as day. He would definitely be having a little chat with his old headmaster, and very soon.

Petunia entered the room, panicked, and the two men turned. "Our little Dudders is throwing up all over the place, Vernon! Right after I took him away from Harry, he complained of being strangely ill, I think that the _boy_ has done something…"

Ignoring Sirius' presence, she shot Harry a venomous glare of accusation. The small child looked very confused.

"_That's_ it! Boy, I've had enough of you, ungrateful brat! And now your _weirdness_ is affecting Dudley…!" Vernon, seeming to forget Sirius was in the room, reached for Harry with a beefy arm.

Harry flinched and looked terrified. A shocked Sirius quickly moved in front of his godson and pushed the gigantic arm away.

"You don't touch him," he barked, a surge of fierce protectiveness overwhelming him, his hands curled into fists. "Your son is probably sick from all the bloody _candy_ he was eating!" Were these people completely _nuts_? Blaming the fact that their son was _throwing up_ on a three year old boy?

"I've seen enough." Damn the blood wards and whatever Dumbledore had said. Leaving Harry here certainly _was not_ the best option.

His godson would not be forced to grow up with these Muggles. Not if Sirius Black had anything to say about it.

"I've had it, and I've only been here ten minutes. You… people don't deserve my godson. Harry," he turned to the scared little boy, whose head jerked up to look at Sirius. He looked very shy once again.

"Would you like to come live with me, instead, Har?" Sirius asked gently in a softer tone. A little voice in his head told him he was rushing into things- it sounded oddly like Remus- but he brushed it aside. He'd rather Harry be out of this place as soon as possible. "We can open your present there. And I know you've only just met me but… I've known you since you were a baby." A deep sadness filled Sirius as watched the little boy; he was so out of place in this house. "I loved your mom and dad and I love you, too."

Harry looked at him, his eyes widening. "Love me?" he asked innocently. He was observing at Sirius with interest, seeming to decide this man was not too scary to talk to.

"Yes, Harry, I love you very, very much. Would you like to come with me?" Sirius tried to smile encouragingly in light of the situation.

Harry looked from him to his aunt and uncle, who were staring at him and at each other with their jaws clenched.

"Take the boy, and good riddance, this family will finally be able to go back to being normal. My wife and I will no longer have to burden ourselves..." Vernon was muttering.

Sirius glared at him ferociously, wanting nothing more than to punch him square in the face. A small tug on his sleeve pulled him out of this satisfying thought. He looked to Harry, whose bright green eyes were focused on what was in Sirius' hand, a half smile on the child's face.

"I'll get a presen'?" he inquired. Sirius stared at him and after a few moments, laughed; of course that would be the most important part of the child's decision.

"Yes, you'll get a present. And you'll get lots, _lots_ more, as it's Christmas very soon," he winked. Harry's half grin turned into a full one.

"What do you say, Har?"

"Uh huh," Harry nodded, continuing to beam at Sirius. Sirius' face broke out into a goofy grin.

"Great. Great, Harry! Now, you want to pack up your things, buddy? We should get going soon." Harry nodded; his rising excitement shown in his growing grin, and cautiously rushed passed a tight lipped Petunia to a cupboard under the stairs. He opened it and leaned in, and all Sirius could see were his small legs.

Confused, Sirius looked from this to the Dursley's, who were eyeing him and the cupboard with caution and a hint of fear.

"Erm… Harry, are there things in there that you want to bring along?" Sirius asked, tearing his eyes away from their strange sudden behavior. All of Harry reappeared after a few moments, his hands full with little toy soldiers.

"My toys," he told Sirius matter-of-factly, and Sirius smiled.

"Very nice. Is there anything from your room you'd like to bring?"

Harry looked at the toys in his hands and then up at Sirius. "My room!" he pointed to the cupboard. "Got all my toys."

Sirius stared at the toys and it took a moment for him to realize what Harry meant. "You've kept him in a _broom cupboard_?" he asked incredulously. Vernon shifted uncomfortably but Petunia raised her chin defiantly.

"You should leave, now. You are overstaying your welcome," she said coldly, "and I have a darling little boy to look after. The sooner that little menace is far away from here, the better." She turned on her heel and exited the room.

Now, Sirius was very near exploding. He felt as though several blood vessels in his head were about to pop. James' and Lily's boy, treated like some sort of unwanted piece of furniture. The entire situation sickened him and as much as he wanted to beat these ignorant people's skulls in, he didn't want to frighten Harry. He was only beginning to earn the little boy's trust.

And so, he forced himself to take a few shaky, long breaths and keep calm. He turned to Vernon with a look of hatred. "This will be the last time you see Harry, but not the last time you see me," he warned lowly. Vernon seemed infuriated by this threat but Sirius turned his back to him, wasting no more time with the man.

This was about Harry. All of it was.

The little boy had gone back to the cupboard to grab an empty pillowcase to keep his few small toys in. Sirius tried to muster a smile and reached out his hand.

"Ready to go, kid?"

Harry nodded and, hesitantly, grabbed one of Sirius' fingers. He clutched his pillowcase that dragged to the floor to his chest, and timidly looked back at his relatives, who were all now gathered in a huddle and watching the two with narrowed eyes. Dudley did look rather green.

"Bye bye," he said softly, and he was met with dead silence. Sirius gave them all one last long, meaningful and disgusted glance, and he led his tiny godson out the door.

Yes, before going home, he was going to have a chat with his dear old headmaster.

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**Author's Note:** There's chapter three! Feedback always welcome and encouraged, please review :)


	4. Marks by Monsters

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter four, folks! I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Sirius got to the Dursley's house by motorbike, which he'd been given back after his release. Just so you're not wondering where it suddenly appeared from. Haha :) Thank you SO so so sooo much reviewers and everyone else who's been following my story. Enjoy! :)

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Of _course_, Albus Dumbledore would have chosen now of all times to be away from his office on a Ministry visit.

Just brilliant.

Sirius let out a growl of annoyance, his hand still being clutched tightly by Harry, who was looking up at the man and the castle around him in curiosity. The little boy still was absolutely astonished at the fact that they had just _flown _here on a _motorcycle._ But he'd been sure to keep his mouth shut.

In his excitement to get far away from his mean family's house, he'd instantly agreed to go, but honestly he still didn't know quite what to make of this man. He'd seemed very kind… but now, he seemed very angry. He shifted inside Sirius' enormous coat that the man had put around him when they'd gotten outside, after Harry had quietly told him _I don't have a coat._

Minerva McGonagall pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, Mr. Black. What was it you needed?" She looked down to a wide-eyed Harry and smiled warmly, an expression she rarely granted her students with. "Hello, Mr. Potter. My, how you've grown."

"Hullo," Harry said softly, biting his lip. He tightened his hold on his pillowcase and looked up at Sirius.

"I need to speak with Albus," Sirius said, trying to push down his frustration at Dumbledore and the Dursleys for the moment. "I need to ask about his _questionable_ decisions as of late."

He didn't flinch at McGonagall's sharp look and raised brow. "If you could just tell him I stopped by, please, and I'd like to have a word as soon as possible," he said quickly before she could speak. McGonagall hesitated before nodding. "Will do, Black."

Not quite feeling in the mood for casual conversation with his old professor, or anyone for that matter, Sirius nodded his thanks and turned to leave. Looking down and seeming to finally notice Harry's wide eyed bewilderment, he sighed.

He hadn't explained a thing; he had barely talked to the kid since they left the Dursleys. He'd picked his godson up, put him in his bike, traveled here and stormed to Dumbledore's office all in mostly an angry silence. Level-headedness and thinking things through had never been Sirius' strongest suit.

He mentally groaned. Him and his rash decisions…

"…Sirius?" The man was broken out of his thoughts. He looked down at his godson as they walked down a hall. "…I did somefin' bad?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes with a small fist. Sirius stopped in his tracks.

"No…no, of course not! What ever made you think that?" he nearly stuttered, his brows furrowing.

Harry hesitated. "You're mad," he whispered, not looking Sirius in the eye. Sirius shook his head and smoothed Harry's hair back; he frowned when his godson flinched slightly.

"Not at you, love. You've done nothing wrong," he reassured him, stroking his hair once more. _No, I'm only angry at the rest of the world_, he thought to himself sourly.

Harry nodded with a sniff, sneaking a timid glance at the man when he referred to him as 'love'. After a few moments of pondering he began to smile.

"That lady had a funny hat," he whispered. Realizing he was referring to McGonagall, Sirius let out a bark-like laugh and kneeled down to Harry's level with a mischievous grin. "You'd better not say that around her, you'll be her student after all, and her bad side is an awful place to be," he winked. Harry half-grinned.

_He's adorable_, Sirius found himself thinking with a fond smile. "Welcome to Hogwarts by the way, bud. This is where you'll be going to school when you're big."

Noticing Harry's confusion, Sirius went on; "You'll learn all about magic, just like your mum and dad did-" he stopped when Harry's expression turned fearful. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Magic," Harry shook his head vigorously. "Magic is not real. Aunt Petun'a said no."

Sirius just gaped at him. Well, he really shouldn't be surprised, at this point… "Magic is very real, Harry. Your aunt was wrong," he said firmly, his annoyance at the woman building once more.

Echoes of the family calling Harry '_freak_' bounced through his mind. "I don't want you believing anything those people said to you. Not one word. Alright?" Harry nodded weakly, ducking his chin at Sirius' raising voice.

Sirius continued on, attempting to calm his voice considerably. "You are a wizard, and your mum and dad were too. And so am I." He paused, not quite knowing how much he could tell a three year old and have him understand it. He decided he'd explain later on, once Harry was settled and starting to be comfortable living with him.

"I can do magic? Like with the flyin' mowercycle?" Harry gasped. Sirius smirked in amusement at the mispronunciation. "Yes, Harry, you can do magic. I... have a lot to explain to you. For now, though, we'd better get going to our new home. What do you say?" he asked, and Harry's face lit up in excitement.

"I can open my presen'!" he exclaimed.

Sirius mock rolled his eyes and stood back up, taking Harry's hand in his own. Such a tiny hand_. _He held it carefully and protectively.

"All you want from me is my present…" he said in mock exasperation, turning the present in his other hand. "Yes, yes, you'll get your gift. And you're going to get more, but you can't open them until Christmas day, alright?" he winked again.

"I get _more_ of 'em?" Harry asked, clearly amazed. "I've never _ever_ got a present before," he said in an awed voice, a large smile on his face.

For what seemed to be the hundredth time that day, Sirius' stomach dropped uncomfortably. He looked to down at Harry as the child continued to observe the castle, looking as though he were on the greatest adventure of his life.

At once, on impulse, Sirius scooped the child up in his arms, alarmed at how light he was. Harry stiffened. Sirius buried his head into Harry's messy black hair.

They stayed this way for several moments, and Harry finally relaxed into Sirius' embrace.

Looking up at the sound of footsteps, Sirius spotted what looked like an overgrown bat swooping around the corner.

"Snape," he grunted, shifting Harry to his hip. He did not want to deal with Snivellus of all people at the moment. Hadn't he dealt with enough for one day? He'd refrained from punching anybody so far, but, really, he couldn't make any more promises…

Severus Snape acknowledged him with disinterest, offering a curt nod. "Looking marvelous, Black," he sniffed, smirking at Sirius' still somewhat haggard appearance.

"Yeah, well, being wrongly sent to Azkaban for a couple years will do that to a person," Sirius retorted irately. "Still haven't gotten around to washing that hair of yours, I see."

Snape curled his lip and tossed his hair over his shoulder, glaring daggers at Sirius. "Clearly, prison has failed to rid you of your childish ways." His black eyes fell on Harry, raising a brow at the enormous coat that seemed to drown the little boy.

"Potter, I presume?" he drawled. Harry gave no response and hid his head into Sirius' chest. Sirius tightened his hold on Harry, shooting Snape a warning glare.

"What are you doing with him here, Black? Pity, the poor lad's inherited his father's looks," Severus sniggered. "Let us hope that his arrogance and low intelligence weren't passed down, as well…"

Sirius' jaw clenched and he wished he could reach his wand. "_Don't_," he growled, "speak ill of James, or any one of the Potters, in front of me. You're certainly the one to talk to about childishness, _Snivellus_, insulting a three year old." Not wanting to waste any more time chatting with the ball of grease, he stormed past the man, keeping his distance.

He likely would have said and done much more if a squeamish Harry wasn't in his arms.

"We're going home now, Pup," he announced. Harry nodded and looked over Sirius' shoulder to the scary man with dark eyes, who was watching leave them with distaste and eventually stormed away.

0o0o0o0o

"Whoa," Harry breathed, his hair even more wild than usual from all the whipping wind. Sirius grinned at his pink and smiling face and lifted him out of the passenger seat. He'd probably have to pick a safer mode of transportation when it came to Harry, he thought with uncertainty, as much as the little boy had clearly enjoyed the ride.

He was also surprised that he had thought that. Sirius Black opting to _not_ be reckless; really, who would have thought?

He reached for Harry's hand once again, who took his hesitantly. Sirius shook his head, remembering how loud and happy of a baby Harry had been. He seemed grateful enough to be taken away from the Dursley's home, but he was still shockingly timid. And got so upset whenever he thought people to be angry...

Eyeing the snow surrounding the home, and then Harry's old and worn tiny sneakers, he decided on picking the boy up and again placed him on his hip. They made their way up towards the house, snow crunching under Sirius' feet as he walked.

"Welcome home, bud," he announced once they were inside. Harry looked around. "It's pretty," he said in a very honest voice. Sirius grinned widely at his godson's approval. "I'm glad you like it." Immediately in front of them was a fairly large living room, with a fireplace and two couches surrounding it. To the left of the living room was the kitchen.

"You want to go see your new room, Har?" Sirius asked, and Harry nodded into his shoulder. They climbed the stairs to the right of the living room up to the second floor. "This," Sirius announced, setting Harry down and gesturing to a door to their immediate right, "will be your room. I guess it's going to need some redecorating, it's kind of bland right now…" Harry didn't budge from the doorway of the room.

"What is it, bud?" Sirius asked when the little boy was silent. Harry looked up at Sirius warily, disbelief clear in his eyes

"Mine?" he asked doubtfully.

Sirius smiled down sadly at the boy and ruffled his hair. "Yes, Harry. All yours, every bit of it." He froze as he remembered Harry's previous room had been a tiny cupboard. He pushed down the anger that yet again threatened to burst. _Take a deep breath_. "Do you like it?"

The little boy looked up at him and nodded earnestly. "Yes," he replied.

Sirius looked around himself. "Right next to here is a bathroom, there's another one downstairs, and all the way down the hall to the left is my room. Now," he said, watching Harry yawn sleepily, "I think we'd best give you a bath, young man, and get you to bed soon. You've had a pretty eventful day."

Harry scrunched up his nose at the mention of a bath. "Yucky," he said, disapproval in his young voice. Sirius snorted. "Not a fan of bathing, eh?"

Harry didn't respond, opting to look at and play with his fingers. "Well, this one won't have to be too long, just want you cleaned up a bit." Sirius ushered him into the bathroom, setting Harry up near the sink and starting the water. He rummaged through the cabinets in search of shampoo and soap.

"I think I still have some shopping to do…" he mumbled, turning to the bath with his acquired items in hand. He turned to Harry, who was gnawing at his lip. "You ready?"

Harry was eyeing the filling tub nervously. "Nuh uh."

Sirius looked at him, feeling a bit helpless. He wondered what could convince Harry to get in. "Here, how about you can play with your toys you brought in the tub," Sirius suggested. "And, I've added bubbles," he wiggled his eyebrows in a way that said 'you_ know _you want to get in'_. _

Harry gave him a small smile. Deciding the bath did indeed look more pleasant than the cold ones he was always forcibly given by his aunt, he nodded.

"Alright," Sirius smiled encouragingly. He helped Harry out of his large coat that made him look even tinier than he already was. He helped unlace and pull off his shoes, mismatched socks and torn up pants, and then set him on the ground as he pulled off his overly large and stained shirt. They needed to go clothes shopping, soon, as well, he thought to himself with a snort. Harry shook his four toy soldiers out of the pillowcase into the water. They each landed with _plops_.

Lifting Harry by his underarms to set him into the tub, Sirius noticed the boy flinch in pain. "What, Harry, what's wrong?" he asked, slightly panicked. Harry continued to look pained and whimpered softly as Sirius eased him into the tub. "What's hurting you?" he asked in alarm, turning the little boy to look him over.

His face drained of color at what he found.

Dark, nasty, purple and black bruises in the shape of large fingerprints were on Harry's shoulders and the back of his neck. The shirt he'd been wearing had just barely hidden them. Sirius' fingers must have pressed into them when he lifted his godson. He could make out the angry swollen scratch marks of fingernails among the bruises, as well. Sirius felt his insides turn to lead.

It wasn't as if he had any broken bones, but the family clearly was not gentle with handling their nephew.

Those goddamned bastards. He was going to kill them. He was going to rip them apart with his bare hands. How _dare_ they lay their filthy hands on his godson.

He should have murdered them on the spot today, when he'd had the chance. He was fairly certain his eyes were blood red and that steam was coming out of his ears.

_If anything ever happens to Lily and I both Sirius, God forbid, I want you to be the one to raise Harry._

_ Prongs, don't talk like that, mate, nothing's going to happen to-_

_ Padfoot, _he clearly remembered James interrupting him; his look was one of all seriousness. _We're in a war here. I'm only saying this because it's a very real possibility. Please, just promise me, if anything happens… I know how much you love him. I can trust him with you._

_ I do, James, I love the kid like he were my own-_

_ Exactly, I know you do. Just promise me you'd raise him as if he were your own son._

_ Yeah… you know I promise. I completely meant it when I agreed to be his godfather. I'd do anything for the three of you._

_ I know, Padfoot. Thank you so much, my friend._

The memory flashed through his brain suddenly, as vivid as the day the conversation happened. Sirius had already failed, though… he'd already left his godson with monsters for two years. Guilt and every sort of unpleasant emotion from the day gnawed at his insides.

"Harry," he said unevenly, attempting to keep the tremble out of his voice. Harry looked over his shoulder at him, looking slightly fearful. "Mm?" he asked softly. Sirius cleared his throat and turned the boy as gently as he could, cupping his face in his unsteady hands.

"Your uncle, and aunt, they hurt you," he stated gravely. Harry's emerald green eyes met Sirius' gray ones. Sad, young replicas of Lily Evans' eyes. They filled with sudden tears and the boy sniffed. "A'cause I was bad," he whispered, looking at Sirius cautiously.

Sirius shook his head firmly, his eyes never leaving Harry's. "No, Harry. Nothing you could have done justifies them hurting you." At Harry's now flooding tears, Sirius felt furious tears finally break free from his eyes as well. "Shhhh," he tried to sooth, rubbing Harry's wet face with his thumbs and leaning over the tub to kiss his hair. "It's alright, you're never going to go back, I'm going to take care of you now."

He held his tearful godson's head until the sniffling subsided, and until his reawakened rage had simmered back down somewhat, and leaned back into a squatting position. He gruffly wiped his own eyes with his wrist.

He'd most definitely need to talk to Harry more about his relatives' handling of him at some point. But, looking at his godsons tired and red eyes, he decided that now was not the best time. As much as he needed to know all what those monsters had put him through, he needed to make sure Harry settled into this new situation comfortably.

He needed to know he was totally safe here, and that Sirius was not another Dursley.

"You are very loved, Harry," Sirius told his little godson seriously. "Alright? _Very_ loved."

Harry only stared at him, and sniffed once again.

"Are you gonn' be my daddy?" he queried innocently after a few silent moments. Sirius froze.

Would it be a betrayal to James to say 'Yes'? Could Sirius even hope to raise Harry as well as his parents would have? Good lord, Sirius was a parent now. Was he ready to take on a child, having been cooped up in prison the last two years of his life?

_Just promise me you'd raise him as if he were your own son…_

"Your parents," he began slowly, the memory still echoing in his mind, "said that if anything ever happened to them, they wanted me to take care of you. I promised them I'd be your father if they couldn't be here."

Feeling as though James were nodding his approval down at Sirius, he continued. "So, yes, I'm going to be a daddy to you now." His heart filled with sudden warmth at the thought, and all his doubts of parenting were washed away as Harry gave him a watery smile.

"Okay," Harry said softly. Sirius smiled at the child's simplicity. What an incredible kid.

He wouldn't fail James or Lily, he decided firmly. He would not fail Harry.

Not again.

"Now, then, let's finish your bath, as you're quite smelly," he teased, trying to lighten Harry's mood. At Harry's indignant 'Nuh _uh!_' Sirius grinned cheekily and began to wash his godson's dark hair.

0o0o0o0o

A few hours later, the two were together in the living room. Sirius had transformed Harry's old, tattered hand-me-downs into some comfortable pajamas. They'd do until new ones were bought.

He was beginning to read the paper he hadn't bothered glancing at this morning while Harry lay nearby on a couch sleepily. He'd opened his present from Sirius earlier and had been excitedly playing with his new toy, babbling and laughing as the tiny Quidditch players flew around his head.

Sirius chuckled as he looked over at his sleepy godson, whose cheek was pressed against a pillow and his eyes starting to droop. He just decided on putting his godson to bed when bold letters on the paper he'd just grabbed caught his eye; **Bartemius Crouch Sr., former Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, found dead in home earlier this morning. **Sirius' brows furrowed. What? Before he could read on for the details, there was a knock at the front door.

He saw one eye of Harry's open sleepily at the noise, and then slowly close again. He shot his godson a strange and amused grin as he left his seat and headed for the door. Remembering that his home was not yet warded, he took out his wand, cautiously holding it in front of him as he opened the door.

"Moony!" he greeted, inviting the man in and out of the cold. "Hey there, how'd your interview go today?"

"Hello, Sirius," Remus greeted with a tired smile. "My interview… well, I've certainly had worse," he chuckled weakly, and Sirius gave his friend a sympathetic look. "I've got another tomorrow, though, so there's hope there," said Remus. Sirius nodded, hoping for his friend's sake that he was right. He felt a pang of sadness on Remus' part.

"I came to ask about your visit with Harry, did you end up going?" Remus asked, adjusting his scarf around his neck. Sirius' eyes darkened, and he jerked his head towards the living room.

"Yes, I did, and it was awful. Harry is here now, and he will not be going back," he snapped. Remus gave him a puzzled look.

"Harry is…here…ah. And has Dumbledore agreed to this?" he asked sternly, giving Sirius a pointed _look_.

"To hell with Dumbledore, Remus, that household was _not_ suitable for Harry!" Sirius said lowly. "Once I get a moment alone with the old crackpot I'm going to give him a bloody piece of my mind-"

"Sirius?" a small and sleepy voice was heard. The men both turned to find Harry standing in the archway, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He noticed Remus and looked away shyly.

"Hey, buddy, what is it?" Sirius asked gently. When Harry didn't answer, he walked over to the boy and, more carefully this time, picked him up. "This is my best friend, Remus," he gestured towards the sandy haired man. "He's very nice."

Remus gave Harry a very warm and kind smile. "Hello, little one, and how are you?"

Harry looked at him and, finding the warmth in his smile reassuring, smiled shyly back. "Good," he said softly. "'m Harry." Remus chuckled. "Yes, indeed, I know who you are."

A scratching could be heard from the window, and Sirius turned. He could make out an owl outside, a letter in his beak. "Who could that be from?" Sirius murmured, raising his brows and making his way towards the window.

He opened it one armed with a grunt, and the owl stepped inside, ruffling it's feathers to rid of the flecks of snow. "Owl," Harry said cheerfully as he reached out to pet the bird's feathery head. Sirius smiled softly at him and took the letter from the owl's mouth.

As he tore it open and scanned its contents, his jaw tightened. "Dumbledore," he said, turning to Remus with annoyance. "He's back at Hogwarts and wants to see me." Had McGonagall told him about Sirius stopping by like he'd asked?

"Can you stay here with Harry, please?" Sirius asked of his friend, who was still eyeing him skeptically.

"No doubt he's realized you've taken him, Sirius," said Remus, shaking his head. "Mind explaining things once you're back? And yes, I'd love to stay with Harry," Remus added, smiling at the child again. Harry half-smiled back.

"Yes, yes, I'll tell you everything then," Sirius said, waving a hand impatiently. He set his godson down and gave him a cheerful smile.

"Why don't you show Remus your new toy?" he asked encouragingly at the boy's uncertainty at being left alone with this new man.

Harry's face lit up in a smile and he nodded, waddling off into the living room towards his newest prized possession.

"I won't be gone long," said Sirius, grabbing his coat and heading towards the door. "Try not to get him too wound up, I'll be putting him to bed once I'm home."

Remus nodded and crouched down next to Harry, who shyly began to introduce him all the pieces of his new Quidditch set, incorrectly pronouncing most of the terms. Sirius smirked, knowing Remus wasn't crazy about Quidditch as Sirius was, _or_ the Chudley Cannon's for that matter.

Closing the door as he heard Remus' gentle voice asking Harry questions about his new toy with curiosity, Sirius sighed. Off to Hogwarts he went, yet again. He ducked his head away from the cold and trudged his way to his motorcycle.


	5. Of One Man's Mistakes

**Author's Note: **This chapter is a little shorter than I wanted it to be, but I'm already almost done with the next chapter! So yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you reviewers! Honestly, you guys make my day, you keep me writing :) I appreciate the support ya'll!

* * *

"Hello there, Sirius," greeted Dumbledore, seated behind his desk and gesturing for the younger man to take a seat. "I apologize for my absence earlier today. I wa informed that there was something you wished to discuss with me?" He was smiling and looked pleasant enough, but it looked to Sirius as if the old man knew something.

Sirius gave a stiff nod, but didn't move to take a seat. He rubbed his hands together to warm them. "We need to discuss my godson, Albus," he said bluntly, not caring for formalities at the moment.

"Ah, yes, I am well aware you have taken young Harry from his home," Dumbledore said, inclining his head and looking up at Sirius over his half-moon spectacles. "I was alerted that the wards had been crossed by a wizard the moment it happened. Though I knew it to be you and was certain you meant Harry no harm, what, may I ask, persuaded you to take him?"

Sirius gripped the chair in front of him. He met Albus' stern eyes, his own filled with accusation. "Those _people _you placed him with have been mistreating him," he snapped. He was slightly surprised to see the color drain from the old man's face.

"I found bruises all by his neck and shoulders while I was giving him a bath… and he flinches if I touch him unexpectedly, like he's afraid I'm going to… to... _I_ don't know, repeat whatever _they_ did," he nearly gripped his hair in frustration.

"And, he's- he's so small, they must have starved him half to death. When I came to the house they wanted nothing to do with him, they talked about him as if he were some kind of…I don't know, strange creature or something," he spat, disgust etched into his features. "As if he weren't human. And they kept him stuffed in a broom cupboard to sleep, Dumbledore, for God's _sake_!" His chest heaved as he stared at Dumbledore.

The old man was not attempting to argue or quiet Sirius. He was only watching with a seemingly neutral expression, but the mirth had left his eyes and was replaced with a great sadness. And... was that guilt?

"Did you _know_, Albus? How couldn't you have? Didn't you know he was being harmed? That Lily and James' _son_ was living in a cupboard?" Sirius demanded roughly, suddenly feeling hurt. He had trusted this man infinitely. He'd trusted him, even after he, like the rest of the world, had believed Sirius to be the traitor without any sort of trial.

Dumbledore held Sirius' furious gaze and then sighed, closing his eyes. "Sirius," he began, "first of all, you must to know I did what I thought to be best-"

"_Did you know_?" Sirius hissed through clenched teeth.

There was a long few moments of tense silence. All that could be heard was Sirius' harsh breathing, and then Dumbledore's hands being gently placed onto the desk.

"I was aware that Harry slept in a cupboard," he said finally. His voice was very tired, and sad. He didn't flinch when Sirius looked as though he were about to strangle him. "No, I certainly did not know he was being otherwise harmed in any way."

"You _knew_…! So it's fine then, if he's not being beat up, it's fine with you if an innocent child is being mistreated, _despised_ in his own home," Sirius exclaimed, outraged, "as long as it's more convenient for you!"

"Sirius, your anger at me is completely justified and understood, but I must ask you to please calm yourself," Dumbledore told him, and though his voice was not raised his tone was stern. He gestured again to the chair Sirius was gripping so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

Sirius managed to bite back a snide refusal and sat, crossing his arms and almost looking as though he were pouting.

"I'm not going to say what I did was right, and I certainly know now it was not," Dumbledore began heavily, "but I truly did believe that I was making the best choice. Our world is not safe, not even if Lord Voldemort is out of the picture for the time being." His tone was grave.

"_Especially_ not for Harry. There are still strong followers of Voldemort out there, and I've no doubt that young Potter is their most hated enemy. He destroyed their master. Some may search high and low for the boy without rest in hopes of bringing back their leader."

Sirius was avoiding looking at Dumbledore, but fear gripped him all the same.

"His best chance of avoiding them ever finding him is at his aunt and uncle's, because of the blood wards," Dumbledore said wearily. "I thought…" he seemed pained to go on, "that… whatever he may have suffered in that home, it was better than what would have happened to him in the hands of a Death Eater."

He continued on before Sirius could protest vehemently. "But I assure you, though I knew these Muggles were never particularly…_fond_ of magic, I did have hopes that if they were given time, they'd see what a wonderful little boy Harry is. I never, not for an instant, suspected they might bring him harm."

His eyes were downcast now. "After what you've told me… I'm terribly sorry to say, I was wrong. I apologize, Sirius." He looked up to meet Sirius' gaze. "One old man's mistakes have caused Harry, and yourself, much pain," he said quietly. "And that was never my intention."

Sirius didn't respond. He was taking deep breaths, staring at the desk in front of him.

His old professor should have kept a closer eye on his godson while Sirius could not have, he told himself firmly. Harry's well-being was not something to just be pushed aside.

The man had some nerve.

He was once again painfully reminded that Dumbledore, though an incredibly wise and powerful wizard, was not perfect. It was often hard for Sirius not to expect him to be so.

It was just… seeing the obvious pain in his young godson's eyes, being forced to listen to his relatives talk about him the way they did… Dumbledore was the most logical choice to shove the blame on.

But for now, he felt exhausted. Suddenly all the muscles in his body seemed to be screaming at him to _sleep_. He felt drained; for the moment, he was too tired to continue raging at Dumbledore. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to end this conversation and go home.

And so, he simply nodded. He continued to avoid Dumbledore's gaze. "I suppose I understand, sir," he said quietly; coolness remained in his voice. "It's just that, Harry-"

Dumbledore gave him a knowing look. "I know, Sirius. You only want what's best for him. It's very clear." Sirius gave a jerky, single nod with his head.

"He's at my home, right now, with Remus. And I'm planning on keeping him there," he said, rubbing his eyes with his fingers wearily. Dumbledore bowed his head in agreement. "Yes, that would be best now." He tried to meet Sirius' eyes but could not. "And you are his legal guardian. You've every right to take him. I apologize for denying you the choice before. Had I fully known the situation, I would never have."

Sirius didn't respond as he stood up out of his chair. An awkward silence descended upon them, and Sirius took this as his time to leave.

"I will make arrangements for special security wards to be put around your home as soon as possible," Dumbledore assured him.

Sirius nodded. That was that. He had consent for taking Harry. He turned his heel to leave. Feeling slightly guilty for not responding, he threw a half-hearted "Uh, thanks, Professor," over his shoulder.

Remembering something, though, Sirius turned back around. "Dumbledore, Barty Crouch is dead," he said, not quite knowing what had brought this to mind.

Dumbledore looked up from his desk. "Yes, my boy, I'm afraid so. He was found dead in his own home, and it's believed he was murdered. There's a mystery surrounding who the murderer in question was … that was the reason for my presence at the Ministry today."

He pulled out a parchment and a quill and began writing, seemingly about end their conversation. Not looking up, he continued. "His death is deeply concerning… our enemies are certainly not gone. Be careful out there, my dear boy, and keep a mindful eye on Harry."

Sirius' insides curling with dread, and inwardly thinking '_yes, _sir_, I will do what you failed to do and keep a proper eye on my godson,'_ he nodded, finally leaving the Headmaster's office.

He realized that, already, he missed Harry. It was time to go home.

0o0o0o0o

While Sirius was gone, Harry had fallen asleep on the floor in the living room, and so Remus had taken the child and tucked him into bed. Remus was horrified after Sirius' explanation of everything that had happened. He'd paled at the mention of the Dursley's treatment and had gone deathly silent, and when Sirius talked about Dumbledore, Remus couldn't help but to feel angry with the old wizard as well.

"If James and Lily knew, good God, Moony, they'd be turning in their graves-"

"Yes, they would be, but he's here now, and that's what's important," said Remus firmly. "And as for the Dursleys… I know that you want revenge, as do I, but you must not do anything reckless," he warned.

Sirius scowled. "And why the hell not? They'd only be getting what they deserve."

"True as that may be, you mustn't give them any more thought. Not for the time being. They will eventually be punished. For now, focus on Harry," Remus reminded his friend gently. Sirius sighed and put a hand over his eyes.

"Yes, yes I know. Fine, I won't do anything, not anytime soon," he mumbled.

Remus frowned but, realizing that was the best promise he'd get out of his friend at the moment, sighed. Knowing Sirius was still deeply upset over the whole matter, he decided to direct his friend's thoughts elsewhere.

"You gave him a set of the _Chudley Cannons_, Sirius, really?" he snorted, and Sirius gave a devious grin. "Now, now, Moony, last I remembered you didn't even care for Quidditch anyway. Speaking of which," he said before Remus could find a retort, "I need to redecorate Harry's room. A kid shouldn't have to sleep in such a bland, white hospital-looking room, I'm going to get him things like... some Quidditch posters! And make it really cool for a kid, make everything red and gold colored."

Remus raised an amused brow. "Oh, is that so? Gryffindor colors, you're that certain he'll be a Gryffindor then?"

"Of course he will be, don't be ridiculous," Sirius scoffed, puffing his chest out proudly. "Same as his dad and Maraurder uncles. I reckon he's going to be an excellent flyer, as well, he loved being on my bike today," he beamed. Remus shook his head fondly.

"If he's anything like James, yes, he will be. He was quite excited about his Quidditch toy." He paused. "He looks just like him," he murmured, shaking his head in amazement. "The spitting image. Those eyes are Lily's, though. His kindness is, as well. He's a sweet child, Sirius," Remus smiled, and Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he's an angel."

Remus observed him for a few moments and seemed to read his thoughts. "You'll make a fine parent, Sirius," he said softly. He reached out and grabbed his friends shoulder and shook it gently. "You're already putting Harry first."

"Thanks, Moony," said Sirius sincerely, grateful for his friend's support. Uncertainty continued to linger in the back of his mind, however.

"Well then, I'd best be going, it's getting rather late," Remus stretched, "and _you_ look like you're about to pass out. I know you've had a very trying day."

Sirius nodded, realizing how weary his limbs were. "Yeah, I need sleep." He walked his friend to the door. "Best of luck with your interview tomorrow."

"Thank you, Padfoot," Remus smiled in appreciation. "I'll see you soon."

After exiting the home and walking away, he turned around. "Go on and get your beauty sleep, now, Merlin knows you need it," he grinned cheekily, eyes widening as he ducked and ran away, narrowly dodging a messy and large chunk of snow from Sirius.

"You're lucky it's too dark to get a proper aim, Moony!" he called as closed the door on his friend. After the 'click' of the door closing, the house was silent. Sirius yawned and dragged his heavy limbs up the stairs.

On his way down the hall he stopped at Harry's door, open just a crack and, suddenly feeling the unpleasant emotions from throughout the day start to stir up again, got a strong urge to check in on his godson. Pushing the door open very slowly, he poked his head into the room.

He could make out the form of Harry, wrapped up in a ball in his large quilt. His nose was whistling lightly while he breathed. Sirius crept over to the bed, sitting down on it lightly and staring at the sleeping face of his godson.

He was so... angelic. Such a perfect kid. The moonlight streaming in through the window revealed Harry's lightning bolt-scar. Sirius traced it lightly with his finger, deep in thought. It looked so strange, so out of place on his innocent face.

Never had he planned on or even thought about getting married, and therefore he'd never imagined having children… and now, suddenly, he had a three year old little boy.

Harry had always been his baby, though. Since the moment James had placed the newborn child in Sirius' arms, he knew he was _his_ as much as he was James' and Lily's. The Potters were always his true family, and the arrival of little Harry changed his life as much as theirs.

Never before that moment had he felt such a powerful surge of emotion for one person. One tiny, scrunched faced, pink, wailing person.

"You had me at hello, you little bugger," Sirius murmured fondly, finger still tracing Harry's scar, his voice catching slightly. How anyone could hate or harm such a child was simply beyond him. The scar on his head already marked him as an outcast, as a target that a monster had tried to destroy.

_Some may search high and low for the boy without rest... _

He stiffened as Dumbledore's words rang in his ears, cupping the back of Harry's head with his hand. His chest filled with fear as he looked at Harry's sleeping face. He fully knew what Death Eaters were capable of. He'd lost too many people, too many friends to _not_ know.

No, he couldn't think like that. He'd be perfectly safe in Sirius' hands. Sirius would take extra precautions now that he had Harry with him, he'd make sure everything was just fine.

He couldn't ever remember being this paranoid before. He forced an uneasy laugh, shaking his head at himself. No need to fret over things that might not even happen, right?

Smiling in light amusement at the little boy's whistling nose, he quietly stood up from the bed, gently kissing his forehead. "Love you, kid. Always have."

That night Sirius climbed into bed and, though his mind was plagued with the day's events, he couldn't help but smile the tiniest bit. As he drifted off into well needed slumber, he knew that the small child just down the hall was safe for now. And from now on, he'd be living with Sirius.

He fell asleep that night with a sort of contentedness he hadn't felt in years.


	6. Enemies Unseen

**Author's Note:** Thank you, my lovely reviewers! You all make me smile! I will try my best to get around to thanking you all individually because you really do encourage me to keep writing :) my schedule has been pretty hectic but whenever I get alone time I try to write for this story! Here's chapter 6, please review and enjoy :)

* * *

Harry awoke to sunlight shining harshly onto his face. He scrunched his eyes closed in discomfort and turned away, yawning and kicking away a pile of blankets. He opened his eyes again and, forgetting where he was, bolted upright. This was not the cupboard. After a few moments the previous day's events came back to him.

Sirius was a very nice man. Remus had been kind to him as well. Harry smiled. He was glad that was all not just a wonderful dream. Someone really had finally taken him away from the Dursleys.

His stomach growled loudly, and he realized he hadn't eaten the other day. Looking at his doorway, he longed to get up and go find a meal. Would Sirius be mad if he ate without asking? Should he wait for the man to wake up? He stayed put for another twenty minutes, rolling around in his new, large, rather comfy bed and listening for signs of Sirius awakening.

He sighed through his nose when, after a long time of rolling and listening, his stomach growled even more loudly than before. Lying on his back with his head hanging off the bed, he looked up at the doorway again, hoping to hear any noise signaling the man getting up. All he heard was a single loud snore down the hall. He stifled a giggle.

As he sat upright, his eye caught the falling snow just outside his window. He scooted off of his bed, pressing his nose against the glass. How he loved playing in the snow. It was something Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't care whether he did or not.

He'd loved it, just not when Dudley and his friends, whom Harry did not like at all, would shove him in the snow and laugh. And kick down his snow forts he tried to build. Harry crinkled his nose in annoyance at the memory. Dudley was so mean.

His hunger finally getting the better of him, Harry walked out of his room. His bare feet felt chilled on the cold wooden floor. He hesitated as he looked down the hall at Sirius' room. He traveled towards it, slowly pushing it open and poking his head through.

Sirius was sprawled out in his bed, blankets askew and his loud snores muffled by a pillow over his face. Harry blinked and warily moved towards the bed. He placed his small hands on it's edge and peered at the man, biting his lip.

He began to feel uneasy. Uncle Vernon was always very, very mad if Harry ever woke him up. But his hunger was beginning to hurt his stomach; tentatively he reached out and poked Sirius' arm. He got no response. "Uh, Sirius," he whispered uncertainly, and was greeted with muttering about fleas.

He cocked his head and crinkled his brows, shaking the man's arm.

Sirius awoke suddenly, the pillow falling off his face as he rolled over. He blinked blearily. He nearly jumped at the sight of his godson. "Oy…! Hi, Harry," he mumbled drowsily, closing his eyes again.

"You have fleas?" Harry asked curiously. Sirius opened one eye, looking at him strangely. "Erm, no?"

"Oh."

Before Sirius could ask, his eyes fell on Harry's hair. He snickered sleepily. "Nice bed-head, kid." Sirius mussed Harry's wild hair with his hand. "Need a haircut… you alright?" he asked suddenly, waking up fully.

"I'm hungry," Harry admit shyly, looking down at his feet.

At once Sirius' face turned guilty and he sat up. "Oh, that's right! I never did feed you, sorry bud…" He got out of bed and grabbed a robe hanging off a cushioned chair.

"I can get it, s'okay," Harry said quickly. "Needed to ask for perma-…premi-…uh," he fumbled over the word.

"Permission?" Sirius suggested as he yawned. Harry shrugged. "No need, bud, if you're ever hungry you just tell me, alright?" Sirius led the way out into the hall and Harry followed.

They made their way to the kitchen; fresh morning sunlight was seeping through the windows. Harry climbed into a chair and sat on his knees as he watched Sirius search through cupboards, his shoulder length hair messy and sticking up in odd places.

"Right now our only option is cereal," Sirius mumbled apologetically, grabbing a couple of cereal boxes and placing them on the counter. "That alright with you, Har? We'll pick up more stuff when we go shopping today."

Harry nodded his head vigorously, his excitement building. "I'm goin' with?" he asked happily. Sirius gave him a bemused grin as he poured milk into the bowls. "Yes, you're coming with! Where else would you go?"

The two began to eat, and Harry watched his godfather curiously. "I don't have ta' stay home?" he asked again, carefully. Sirius swallowed and looked up from his bowl, giving his godson a questioning look.

"Of course not, Harry, I wouldn't just leave you here. Why…" he trailed off, frowning in thought.

Harry smiled, not noticing the man's look as he nodded. "We're goin' to a magic store?" Sirius shook himself out of his thoughts and grinned at Harry's exuberance.

"Well, yes," he mused, "I suppose you could say that."

0o0o0o0o

About an hour later, after eating, dressing and attempting to tame both of their heads of hair (Sirius' was manageable but sadly, Harry's was not), they had traveled via Floo Network to Diagon Alley. Harry had been perplexed at first but quickly afterwards was asking excitedly to go again. Sirius ruffled his hair and, after assuring him they would do it again later, they were off.

The day was crisp and cold, but bright. First off they quickly went to buy Harry a warm jacket, hat, boots and scarf, so that he wouldn't be freezing. Afterwards they walked down the streets, passing by many busy shops. Harry was open-mouthed and babbled many questions about items in the windows. He was especially excited as they passed the owls, and the broomsticks.

Sirius couldn't help but smile widely at the boy's energy. There were times where the little boy was extremely withdrawn and times where he just couldn't hold back his young, bubbly excitement over this new world. He hoped that, given time, his godson would be this cheerful _all_ the time.

The place was absolutely packed, Sirius noted with some annoyance as they entered a particularly busy area. People were probably doing their Christmas shopping. The whining, wailing and giggling of children could be heard in every direction, as could the small talk and exchanges of adults. Harry was wildly looking in every direction, seemingly in awe at all of the commotion and life in the place.

Sirius grew wary when people passing by them started whispering and staring at the pair with curiosity.

"Merlin's beard, is that really _the_ Harry Potter?"

"…with Sirius Black! They're letting that poor little boy with that maniac?"

"No, no, remember he's innocent! The papers said so…"

"The Boy-Who-Lived! It's him in the flesh! Wonder where he's been all this time, poor dear, look at that awful scar of his…"

"The Black's a bloody maniac, I tell you, he's as wild as they come! You can't trust anyone these days, I don't believe for one moment he's innocent…"

Though Sirius tried to rush Harry away before he heard all these whispers, Harry started to pick up on his name being mentioned. He looked around at everyone and up at Sirius with confusion.

"You're not wild," he said firmly with a very serious expression. His cheeks were turning pink from the cold. Sirius let out a bark-like laugh as he focused ahead on trying to steer them both through the bustling crowd. "Why, thank you."

Harry held onto Sirius' hand and continued to peer up at him, stumbling as someone bumped into him. "I don't know them, how come they know me?" he asked, just before yet another distracted adult bumped into him and nearly knocked him over.

Sirius sent them an irritated glance, but they had already disappeared into the crowd. He swiftly picked up his godson, biting back a sigh as Harry looked at him with questioning eyes.

It was clear he had some explaining to do. Sirius spotted a small restaurant ahead and decided it was time for them to get out of this blasted crowd of rude shoppers, and have a very much needed talk. They entered, quickly finding a table and sitting down.

"You still hungry?" he asked, and Harry hesitated shyly. "You can tell me, bud, it's alright. I'll get us something to eat," Sirius smiled. Harry nodded, playing with his hands. After a few minutes of selecting their meal a peppy looking waitress came by.

"Hello there, my name is Cecilia and I'll be your server today, may I take your order?" She looked at Harry and her eyes widened at his scar. "Oh, it's-it's you! … Well, you're a cute little boy, aren't you, Mister _Harry Potter_?" she gushed in her high-pitched voice. She curiously leaned in close to peer at his scar.

Harry looked baffled. Several people turned their heads and quieted at the mention of his name.

Sirius cleared his throat, and the girl jumped back in surprise. "Oh, sorry 'bout that! How rude of me. It's just…" she was stuttering, almost dropping her order sheet. Sirius nearly winced as he looked around the room; she had attracted everyone's attention to them. He inwardly groaned.

"It's alright, don't worry about it, we'll be taking our orders now," he said quickly, and they did.

Once she was gone, Sirius put a hand to his face and let out a sigh. _Well, now that the entire building can stare as I explain his life to him… _Harry was looking to him with confusion. Ignoring the new whispers and glances their way, Sirius let out a long breath.

Where to begin?

"Harry," he began in a low voice, leaning in so only Harry could hear him. "Do you… do you know how your mum and dad died?" he asked. His throat suddenly felt clogged.

Harry nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving Sirius'. "Car crash," he replied automatically. Sirius opened and closed his mouth in disbelief.

"… Car crash? A _car crash_? Is that really what those bloody…" he forced himself to take a breath and calm down at Harry's fearful expression. Just another addition to the list of those Muggles' idiocy...

"Your parents did not die in a car crash, Harry. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at your relatives," Sirius reassured his godson. "Your parents were… the bravest of people, both of them were. And they died for you, to protect you."

Harry looked up at him with wide eyes. "Why?" he asked in a soft, hushed voice. Sirius looked at him and fought hard to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"Because they loved you so much, Pup."

Harry gave him the tiniest hint of a smile. "They did?"

"Are you kidding? They were crazy about you. Your dad was the happiest man in the world that day he came running out of the hospital room after you were born," Sirius said reminiscently, smiling faintly.

"He ran all about, screaming about how you were a boy, and that he could tell by your build you were going to be a Quidditch champion someday. The nurses looked at him like he was crazy." He chuckled, shaking his head. Harry's smile grew the smallest amount.

"Can you tell stories 'bout him and mama?" he asked quietly but eagerly. Sirius smiled at him sadly for a few moments and then ruffled his hair. "Anytime, bud. Ask me anytime at all."

Sirius looked around the building to realize people had not stopped staring… most were looking at him with suspicion and at Harry with curiosity. He looked back to Harry, who still eyeing Sirius with rapt attention.

Did he really have to tell him the story now? Would he even be able to understand it? Not fully, no, he knew. But the boy needed to know why these stares and whispers were going to occur all day.

"Why are they dead now?" Harry asked barely above a whisper.

Sirius cleared his throat. "They died, because... well, uh, there was a very evil man a couple of years ago. He hurt lots of people and families. He did terrible, terrible things, and your parents fought against him for it. In the end, he... killed them."

He leaned back in his chair, suddenly not feeling very hungry. He really couldn't tell Harry all of the details of this story… he wasn't even four. And they were in public, not the privacy of their own home. He thought for a moment of how to simplify things for the child.

"He tried to kill you, as well, but he couldn't. All that happened to you was a strange cut on your forehead." He brushed Harry's hair away from his head gently, gazing at the scar. "That's why nearly everybody knows your name; you lived through that awful night."

Harry was now looking down. "Oh." He seemed to not know what exactly to do with this new information. Sirius observed him quietly.

He was wondering whether or not he should say more when he spotted a vaguely familiar hooded man staring intently at the two of them from a faraway table. Sirius looked at him and frowned slightly; the man's look gave him a bit of an eerie feeling. He was switching his gaze from Sirius to little boy paid no notice; he was staring at the table in silence.

The man didn't really_ look _familiar but there was something about his expression… Sirius couldn't quite put his finger on it; he was certain he'd seen him before. But at the moment he couldn't begin to think of where...

"Here you go, both of you! Enjoy your meal!" Cecilia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Smiling brightly, she held their food on a tray, her gaze again freezing on Harry's scar and her eyes were wide with wonder.

She then narrowed her eyes at Sirius. "Say then, you aren't Sirius Black, are you? Wow, I can't believe it, I've met two famous people in one day…!" she gushed. Sirius inwardly groaned. This girl was getting on his nerves. He shook his head, inwardly praying that most people would not act like this… "Thank you for the food," he said hurriedly, hoping she'd drop the celebrity thing. She finally stopped gawking and was off.

Sirius suddenly felt anxious with the strange man staring at him and his godson. "Let's try to hurry and eat, Pup, so I can show you more cool places," he forced a smile, and Harry beamed.

"Can I see brooms?" he asked excitedly, one cheek full with fries.

"Chew," Sirius said gently, and Harry swallowed. "Yes, we can go look at some brooms," he chuckled, checking out of the corner of his eye if the man was still staring; he was, and his intense gaze was now lingering on Harry.

Sirius frowned and glared at him as a wave of protectiveness washed over him- the man was probably just insane- and began to eat quickly, watching to make sure Harry did the same.

0o0o0o0o

A few hours after their rushed meal and shopping (they'd picked up more clothing for Harry, food, books for the both of them, along with other things needed) they were passing by the toy store, jam packed with families. Harry pressed his nose against the glass and looked inside.

"Come on, bud, we can go take look," Sirius said above him with a wink. He gently ushered Harry inside. They almost immediately bumped into a small boy about Harry's age. He was clutching the hand of a tall, bony, older woman with a rather large hat on.

"I apologize, my grandson can be a bit clumsy," the old woman sighed, and she gazed sternly down at the boy who was looking down at his feet in embarrassment. "Neville, _really_, you must watch where you're going."

"Augusta Longbottom, isn't it?" Sirius asked, raising his brows. He held out his hand for the woman to shake. "Sirius Black, pleasure to meet you. I knew Frank and Alice quite well. Extraordinary people."

He flashed her a charming smile and she, looking both surprised and proud at the mention of her son and daughter-in-law, gave a closed lipped smile in response. "Yes, indeed, they are."

"This is my godson, Harry Potter. Harry, this is Neville Longbottom, the both of you played together when you were very young," Sirius told his godson, and Harry waved at Neville. "Hi."

Neville smiled at him shyly, and then looked back down at his feet. Sirius looked around the toy store and back down at Harry. "Say, bud, I'm going to grab something real quick... stay here with Mrs. Longbottom and Neville for just _one_ moment, alright?" Harry nodded vigorously.

"Promise me you'll stay put? I'm going to be right over there, I'll only be a bit," Sirius repeated, and again Harry nodded. "Alright." Sirius nodded and, smiling at Augusta, ruffled Harry's hair and left towards the other end of the store. Harry looked at Neville, who was now eyeing toys near the door with interest.

"Gran, could I have somethin' like that for Christmas?" he pointed, but before Harry could look to see what he was talking about, the awkward Longbottom boy had tripped over his own shoe as he turned. His face frightened, he grabbed onto a shelf and a lady's robes as he fell, loudly pulling the shelf down and sending its contents rolling across the floor.

"_Neville Longbottom_! Honestly, child, are you unable to go two moments without tripping over your own two feet!" Mrs. Longbottom was exclaiming in exasperation, pulling Neville up off the floor.

Harry's eyes followed colorful marbles that had fallen and were rolling towards the front of the store just as someone was opening the door. They rolled until they hit the thin layer of snow outside. Harry turned to Neville, whose face had turned beet red as he worriedly looked up at his grandmother. She was apologizing hastily to the woman he had accidentally grabbed.

Feeling quite bad for Neville, as his grandmother's screech had instantly reminded him of Aunt Petunia, Harry turned and ran after the marbles, attempting to scoop them all up in his small gloved hands. He scooped up marbles along the doorway, failing to notice the mysterious hooded man staring at him just outside the window.

Harry went outside as the door was opened again to gather up the marbles that had rolled into the snow. "_Potter_," came a hiss, and the little boy quickly looked up and all around him.

A man was looking at him from only feet away, the only still one amongst dozens of moving shoppers. From under his hood, Harry watched as the man's face slowly curled into a grin.

"Come along, Harry, I have something to show you," the stranger rasped, part of his face hidden in shadow by his cloak.

Unsure of what to do, Harry looked back to the Longbottoms, who were attempting along with the woman to put the shelf back in place.

"Come on, boy, I have a new broom to show you. _Sirius_ said it's alright if you come along," the man insisted lowly. Harry stayed where he was for a moment, frowning.

He'd promised Sirius he'd stay in one place, and he did not know this person… the strange man started walking away, and the door to the store fell closed behind Harry, so he could not have heard Mrs. Longbottom shrieking "Harry! Get back here! Where do you think you're going, child?"

Abruptly, a loud, hurrying cluster of shoppers came stomping through the street, and Harry was pushed right along with them. Confused and walking in between people's quickly moving legs, he tried to push his way out of the cluster. Several people looked down at him in surprise and one man stepped aside to allow Harry out of the commotion. "So sorry, m'lad, go on and get back to your parents, it's one of the busiest times of the year for shoppers here!" the man called out. "Don't be gettin' lost!"

Harry frowned, looking all around the street. Wasn't he _already _lost? He shuddered, fear beginning rise within him. Where had the toy store been? He hadn't stayed put, and now he was lost, Sirius was going to be so angry…

He started walking the opposite way the shoppers had practically forced him and once again spotted the hooded man. He was still gazing at Harry with intensity, quickly turning and briskly walking into an alley. Harry quickened his pace, looking up at every store to see if any were the toy store.

He passed by the alley that the man had turned into and stopped. He wanted help. He bit his lip and held back tears. The eerie man was down the alley, his attention still on Harry, beckoning him in.

Harry hesitantly took a few steps into the street, only to find someone to ask if they could take him back to his godfather, when he heard a more familiar voice from a small distance gruffly calling his name.

"Harry! Hey,_ Harry_!" It was Sirius. Harry took a few steps back and looked around wildly for the man, relief flooding through him. He turned back to realize the hooded man had vanished from view. Sirius was rushing towards his godson, his face filling with relief as well.

Harry's eyes filled with tears as his godfather approached him, kneeling down and grabbing his godson's shoulders. "Where on _earth_ are you going? Why didn't you stay put as I asked?" Sirius panted. Harry could tell he was angry. He sniffed.

"N-Neville, he fell, n' I picked up the marbles…" he held out the marbles still in his gloved hands.

Sirius was already picking Harry up and heading back towards the store. "Somebody could easily have scooped you up and taken you away... good lord! Don't ever, _ever_ go anywhere without asking ever again, understand?" he said firmly, his voice seeming to shake the slightest bit.

Harry nodded, hugging his head into Sirius' shoulder as tears began to roll down his face. He'd never felt such strong relief before.

"Somebody wanted me ta' go wif _them_," he hiccupped through his sobs. Sirius stopped abruptly and looked at Harry in alarm. "What?" he asked stiffly. "Who wanted you to go with them?"

"I dunno'," Harry rubbed his eyes with a small fist. Sirius looked around the street quickly, his expression darkening. "Where are they now?"

"He ran ova' there and then dis'peared," the little boy sniffled, pointing towards Knockturn Alley. Sirius glanced towards the area and frowned heavily.

"... We're going to return these marbles and then head on home, alright?" he said after a few moments of silence. His jaw was pulsing but his tone towards Harry was a bit softer than before. He brushed back Harry's hair with a hand.

Harry nodded silently and Sirius carried him swiftly towards the store. Sirius kept his eye on the people around them, his features etched with concern.

0o0o0o0o

They'd gone back to the store to return the marbles back in their place and assure Mrs. Longbottom that Harry had indeed been found, and then they left. All of their acquired items from shopping in hand, they'd Flooed home.

Harry was considerably less excited about it than he was the first time; he continued to cry silent tears and burrow into Sirius' shoulder. Sirius gently unhooked his small arms from his neck and placed him on the couch. Quietly he told him he'd be right back and he walked towards the kitchen to place their bags on the table.

An envelope lay on the counter; Sirius absentmindedly picked it up and tore it open. It was from Dumbledore, informing him that he, along with Alastor Moody, had arrived earlier in the day and set up several strong security wards around Sirius' home.

After scanning over the contents of the note he set it aside, glad to know he didn't have to worry about safety at home at the very least. He headed back to the living room and sighed when he caught sight of a still crying Harry.

He felt like he'd very nearly had a heart attack earlier that day. He'd left Harry with the Longbottoms so the boy wouldn't see him sneakily buy a couple of his Christmas presents from the store. When he came back to a flustered Augusta Longbottom informing him she'd seen his godson leave the store and be practically swept away by a crowd of people, he'd panicked considerably. Rushing outside and looking around, and spotting the boy about to walk right into Knockturn Alley had all but scared him out of his wits. Sirius rubbed his temples; he should never have left Harry out of his sight in the first place.

And what was this about this man wanting Harry to "follow him"? When Harry told him this Sirius' insides had churned. What kind of creep was trying to lure in a three year old? Shaking himself slightly, he kneeled in front of Harry, sternly looking the boy in the eyes.

"Harry, the reason I was so upset today was because you could have gotten hurt," Sirius started firmly. "You not only disobeyed me when you left, but you were about to walk right into a very dangerous part of town."

Harry only sniffed, wiping his nose messily with his sleeve. Sirius reached to touch Harry's face and Harry flinched back, eyeing Sirius with fear. Sirius, surprised, pulled his hand back. Harry looked down at his small hands in his lap.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Sirius said quietly, frowning in worry. "I'm not your uncle or aunt, Harry. I would never hurt you." Harry's tears were at full force now and Sirius sighed heavily as he scooped the little boy into his arms, sitting down on the couch and placing Harry on his lap. He gently lifted the boys chin so that he was looking into his eyes.

"I'm angry because I _don't_ want you hurt. You never talk to strangers, Harry. I doubt your wretched relatives ever told you that so I'm telling you now. I don't care if they say they know you, or me, you need my permission to go with _anybody_. Alright?" he told him very seriously. He made certain Harry understood when he looked into the boy's eyes as he nodded.

"'Kay, I'm sorry," Harry croaked through his tears. "I didn't talk ta' him."

Seeing that this event had clearly frightened Harry, Sirius began to rub soothing circles on his back. "What did this person look like?" Sirius asked gently, though his heart was starting to race. Harry sniffled once again and his tears were beginning to stop; he shrugged. "I couldn' see his face a lot," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his fists some more.

Sirius frowned in thought. "Was he wearing a cloak, with a hood?" he asked suddenly, remembering the man in the restaurant.

"Uh... uh huh," Harry replied, looking up at Sirius. Sirius pulled Harry's head to his chest with his brows crinkled. His thoughts raced. What if it was the same man?

"I'm sorry Sirius. I'm happy you found me," Harry's voice was muffled into Sirius' strong chest. "I got scared."

Sirius breathed out of his nose onto top of Harry's head. "I'm glad I did too, Pup, I was scared as well," he said softly, relief overwhelming him once more. He'd been angry enough to punish Harry for frightening him so badly, but the urge had gone away at the terrified look on Harry's face.

He felt at a loss all of the sudden; did he need to punish him when the kid was already scared half to death? Clearly, he needed work on his parenting skills. If he even had any to begin with. He wearily rubbed a hand down his face.

"Come on then, let's go and put our new things away," Sirius said finally, lifting the boy up and setting him on his feet. "Then I'll make us some dinner, alright?"

Harry nodded quickly and rushed off towards the kitchen, avoiding looking Sirius in the eyes. Sirius sighed and pushed his dark hair out of his face, scratching his head.

Yep, definitely needed to work on the parenting skills, alright…

0o0o0o0o

_Damnit_. He'd been so close. _So _close_. _Potter had been merely feet away from him; he should have just grabbed the kid and ran.

He scowled and gnashed his teeth wildly. Maybe it was best he waited, anyhow. First, he'd focus on finding his master…bringing him back… then _together_, they could dispose of the brat.

He was fairly certain Sirius Black had been suspicious of him at the restaurant… no matter, he'd been covered enough to not give the man too much to go off of. And he was supposedly dead anyhow; it wasn't as if he'd be the first man to come to Black's mind.

The fact that Potter was now under Black's protection was not going to be too much of a problem; his master would be pleased enough to get rid of the both of them.

He grinned slowly, a frightening, unstable sight. A tingling, excited sensation bounced all the way from his fingers to his toes as he thought about revenge. Revenge on the boy who'd ruined everything, who'd _destroyed_ _everything_, and vengeance for his beloved master.

Yes, Potter would get what he deserved when the time was right… he would just have to have patience. Patience, patience, patience... His grin widened and he let out an abrupt laugh, the insane sound echoing off of the stone walls of the alley.

In due time he'd be rewarded most greatly by his wonderful, giving lord for being the one to put everything into place.

And, soon enough, the ever-adored 'Boy-Who-Lived' would live no more.


	7. An Evening at the Burrow

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! I'll try my best to make sure the next updates are faster. I feel eh about this chapter at the moment, but I wanted to give ya'll another chapter. Thanks for still reading and reviewing, lovely people! I'd love to respond to everybody and hope I can sometime, but for now here's a few:

AddyD90: Why yes, I'm actually introducing them to Harry in this chapter. :)

The-Girl-Who-Dreamed: Thank you so much for keeping up with my story! You're so supportive, your reviews make me smile! And hmmm, I don't want to give away who it is just yet, but I will say that it's not Regulus, he's not alive in this story... that's a good thought though!

deanine: Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it :) I'll try and keep that in mind when I write, thank you!

David Fishwick: Thanks so much! :) Peter is returning at some point or another in the story, buuut no, he was in prison at the time... Good guess!

Anddd with that, here's chapter 7! Reviews are LOVED, I love hearing what you all think! Enjoy!

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The days following the nearly disastrous trip to Diagon Alley were filled with godfather and godson slowly figuring one another out, adjusting to waking up to one another and going through the day together.

Though unfamiliar at first, it wasn't long before any awkwardness existing between the man and child began to vanish. Harry was still quite shy and cautious around Sirius, but the man had already gained an enormous amount of his godson's trust.

As dearly and immensely as he loved the child, Sirius could not help but question, yet again, Lily and James' decision to name him godfather. Were they possibly not in their right minds when the decision was made? A mere _second_ Sirius' back had been turned and-_bam_-he'd nearly lost the kid. If he had not been able to find his godson, if the stranger had succeeded in grabbing Harry- he never let himself think past that.

No, that wouldn't happen, and it wouldn't even come close to happening again.

Sirius was also getting very little sleep due to very vivid nightmares of Azkaban. His dreams always involved the chilling memory of dementors swarming around his starving form, hungrily devouring his happiness. They involved his deranged cousin whom he'd always loathed, Bellatrix Lestrange, and her shrieking laughter echoing throughout the dark prison. The sound pierced his ears, even in sleep. They also involved Peter Pettigrew, eyes vacant and mouth open in a silent scream as he received the Kiss- though Sirius never witnessed this event firsthand.

Ever too familiar feelings of helplessness and rage would overwhelm Sirius all over again in his dreams. He would wake up wiping away beads of sweat and biting back a yell.

Though he was free of the place, it seemed the two long years he endured there would continue to haunt him for some time.

All of this, though, Sirius' doubts as a new father and his dreadful nightmares, seemed to pale in comparison to the joy of waking up to his new family. Catching sight of the baby boy when he awoke, sleepy eyed with messy black hair hopelessly sticking in every which direction made everything worth it. The reminder every morning that his godson was there to stay would temporarily wipe away the memory of the nightmares, until the next night's sleep. Even the mornings where Harry would simply give him sleepy smiles and eat his breakfast in a shy silence filled Sirius with a newfound sort of joy. Harry had only been back in his life for a few days, but quickly he had become Sirius' world.

Remus had received a very thankful letter from the Weasley family, wishing to show their gratitude for him ridding their family of 'Scabbers' by inviting him to dinner. The family invited Sirius and Harry to come along, as well, eager to meet the pair.

Sirius had agreed; he knew the Weasley family included a trainload of children. It would probably be a good thing for Harry to meet and spend time with kids his own age.

And so now, a couple of evenings after the invitation here they sat, finishing their meal at the long, narrow table of Weasleys. Harry, timid as he'd been when they first arrived, had taken quite a liking to Ron. The pair chatted to each other through the entire meal.

The twins and older brothers of Ron seemed to be in awe of Harry and his scar, and one twin had deemed it 'wicked'.

Molly Weasley absolutely adored Harry- "He is just a polite little angel! So well mannered! My boys could certainly learn a thing or two from him," she'd said- however, her thoughts of Sirius seemed to be a different manner.

While he'd walked through the door, she'd eyed his shoulder length hair and leather jacket with a hint of disapproval, and it was clear she was doubtful of his ability to be someone's guardian. His appearance along with his reputation being locked up in Azkaban so recently likely added to her discomfort.

She was polite enough to Sirius, but he was pretty sure it was known to all in the room what she thought of him.

"Slow down and chew your food, George, you're going to choke yourself!" she was currently reprimanding.

"_I'm_ George, Mum, that's Fred," said one twin indignantly while his brother devoured the food like a hungry horse. Molly sighed in exasperation, distracted with feeding her daughter. "Well, whoever you are, slow down. I don't want you choking."

"Mum, could we play outside?" came Ron's muffled voice through a mouthful of food. Molly sent him a stern glance and pointed her fork at him. "Chew, Ronald." Ron looked sheepish and swallowed his food.

"Sorry, Mum. Can we?" Harry looked excited at this idea. "Yes, dear, after you're done, you may all go play outside," Molly said more kindly, sending Harry a warm smile.

Sirius eyed his godson's excitement fondly. Thankfully he was great with other children. Not that Sirius thought he'd misbehave, but he'd wondered about how Harry would handle meeting other kids, as withdrawn as he was.

Sirius doubted Harry had ever gotten much time to interact with many children, other than that pig of a child Dudley, before.

"I'm done! Thanks for dinner, Mum! It was delicious!" Fred and George exclaimed simultaneously, both hopping off of their chairs. "Race you both outside," one of them said to Ron and Harry- for the life of him, Sirius could not say which twin it was- and they both hurried upstairs to put on warm clothes.

Molly gave a tired sigh. "Those two. I can barely keep up with them and their energy."

Ron slid off of his chair as well, waving a hand to Harry. "C'mon, let's go play!" Harry looked hopefully to Sirius, who winked and stood out of his chair. "Let's go put on your things."

"Thank you for dinner Mrs. Weasley," Harry said politely as he wiggled down from his chair to trail after Sirius. "Oh, you're more than welcome, dear," Molly smiled at the boy.

After assisting Harry in tugging on his jacket and gloves, stepping into his boots and pulling on his hat, Sirius led him back to the kitchen. The Weasley boys were waiting for him eagerly.

"I'll keep my eye on all of them," Bill, the eldest brother, assured the parents.

"Stay where we can see you, alright now? Not past the backyard. And you'll come back in before it gets dark," Molly instructed. The children all bobbed their heads. "You heard her, Fred and George," Arthur added when Molly gave them a warning look.

The pair rolled their eyes and sighed. "Yes, Mum. Yes, Dad."

At once the children all scampered out the door. The sound of their giggling and shouts were muffled once the door shut behind them.

Silence filled the room with their absence. Little Ginny looked at the door longingly. "We'll take you outside once you finish eating, darling," Molly cooed to her only daughter.

Sirius, still feeling slightly paranoid about letting Harry out of his sight, was keen on keeping his eye on his godson through the window. He watched Harry slush through the snow and gather chunks of it in his gloved hands.

"I wanted to thank you again, Remus," said Arthur from across the table. Sirius liked the man; he was a genuine and friendly fellow. "If it weren't for you, our son would still be sleeping with a Death Eater next to his head every night."

A collective chill went down the adults' spines at that.

Remus gave a small inclination of his head to Arthur. "I'm glad I found him, as well. It's a good thing he didn't cause anyone harm while he was here."

Sirius nearly snorted. Peter wouldn't have harmed anyone unless it kept him on someone's good side. The rat was a coward in every sense of the word.

"Dinner was excellent, Molly, thank you," said Remus in gratitude. Sirius nodded in agreement. "Yes, and thank you for inviting Harry and I. I haven't had such a good meal in a long time."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, both of you. Can you cook, Sirius?" Molly inquired, cocking her head to the side a bit.

"I'm learning, yeah," Sirius admit. "I won't claim to be a pro just yet, but I know enough to get us by." Molly's smile was not quite satisfied.

"Harry looks quite small. He's a growing boy; if you ever need someone to provide you both with a good meal, I'd be more than happy to help."

As kind as her suggestion came across as, Sirius could not help but be annoyed at her implication he wasn't feeding Harry properly. "He's been small since I took him from the Dursleys," he grunted, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "I appreciate the offer, Molly, but there's no need to worry. I can cook; I'm just going to need to work at it before it's anything spectacular."

Molly frowned. "The Dursleys, weren't they his aunt and uncle? Did they not feed him decently?" Sirius' stomach twisted in familiar anger at the thought of the family. He exchanged a glance with Remus, who was busying himself with idly adjusting his sweater.

"The assh-… uh, his relatives," he hastily stopped himself from cursing, certain she'd disapprove, and he opted against giving the woman another reason to dislike him, "were… neglectful, to say the least. They don't approve of magic."

Molly was astonished. "Don't approve of… why, the nerve! Harry is such a dear, such a wonderful little boy," she huffed. Sirius nodded. "Yes, he is. Which is why I took him in."

Molly shook her head in disbelief, her frown stiff as she turned to watch the children play through the window. "How anyone could mistreat an innocent child for something they can't control, I'll never know…" she looked to Sirius as though she wanted to ask more but Arthur cleared his throat suddenly.

"You and Harry are welcome to visit our home anytime," he assured Sirius with a kind smile. "He and Ron already act like they're old friends, anyway." Sirius smiled at him thankfully. "They do. I appreciate that Arthur, thank you."

"Oh, for heaven's sake… Fred, George, whoever you are, stop stuffing Ron's head in the snow! He'll catch a cold!" Molly was standing up from the table in a huff, shaking her head at the window. She hurried outside to shriek at the twins.

Sirius and Remus exchanged amused glances. Just as Molly opened the door to storm outside, Harry poked his head inside. His face was red from the cold. "Sirius, want ta' see what I did?" he asked breathlessly. Sirius chuckled warmly. "Sure, Pup, I'll put on my coat."

Only moments later he was being guided through the snow by Harry's small hand. He narrowly avoided colliding into two of the brothers chasing one another. "Look," Harry exclaimed. He pointed to what looked like a regular, lopsided pile of snow. Sirius cocked his head. "Oh… ah! Very nice!"

"A fort. No bad guys can hit me with snowballs," Harry declared with pride.

Well, it didn't look like it could do much protecting. Sirius stifled a laugh and kept a very serious face. "Ah, yes, excellent job Harry. No one will be able to get you now."

Harry beamed proudly.

"_Incoming_!" a child's shrill yell was heard. Fred and George had come running full force, arms loaded with snowballs they were throwing without mercy. Ron, snow soaked hat and all, was running towards Harry's snow pile. "Run, Harry, run! They're coming!" he squealed.

Sirius found himself being pulled once again, and was yanked down to sit behind the 'fort'. Before he could speak he was pelted in the face with snow.

"Oops! Sorry! I was aiming for Charlie," shouted a twin apologetically.

The children worriedly watched as Sirius slowly wiped away the snow with an arm. A mischievous grin was revealed on his face.

"I do hope you children realize... this means war."

For the next twenty minutes or so, Sirius found himself in a snow battle among the children. He dodged wet chunks of snow as they flew his way and helped out Harry and Ron, who for the most part opted to hide behind their pile.

Remus eventually made his way outside only to be mercilessly smacked with several snowballs, all thrown by Sirius. Sirius nearly choked with laughter at the shocked look on Remus' face as snow pelted him in the side of his head. A war was sparked between the two as the children's battle raged on.

An hour later there was exhausted, panting children and with Sirius and Remus holding their sides aching from so much laughter. It felt incredible to laugh so hard. Sirius had never fully realized until now how much he had missed the feeling.

As the sky grew dark, Sirius decided he and Harry would head home soon. Eventually everyone was in the living room and drying themselves off. Harry was already starting to doze off as Sirius secured his newly dry hat on his head.

"Remus, Sirius," Arthur said lowly, and Sirius looked up from his crouched position to see a worrisome frown on Arthur's face. "Will you both come with me to the kitchen for a moment?" Molly looked to them solemnly as she dried Ron off.

Sirius exchanged a glance with Remus, who was surveying the couple with curiosity, and then stood from Harry. "I'll be right back, Pup." The child nodded and sleepily made his way over to stand by Ron.

Obediently, Remus and Sirius followed a suddenly tense Arthur out of the living room. The patriarch Weasley made sure none of the children were poking their heads in to listen.

"What is it, Arthur?" Sirius asked finally, perplexed. Remus was focused on the Weasley, his hands shoved into his pockets.

Arthur cleared his throat, looking first at Sirius, and then to Remus. "Just a few minutes ago while you were all outside, I received news from Dumbledore, intended for you both, Molly and I," he said gloomily. "I didn't want to alarm the children." Remus leaned forward, and exchanged another uneasy glance with Sirius.

Arthur lowered his voice even more. "Earlier this afternoon, Pettigrew was reported to be missing from Azkaban."

The kitchen fell silent. Sirius' eyes widened and he gripped the table next to him.

"That's not possible," said Remus slowly, his expression one of complete disbelief. "No one has escaped Azkaban. He was supposed to receive the Kiss…"

"The Kiss was scheduled to occur a month after his imprisonment. Just after the holidays. He was being held in a cell until then." Arthur shook his head slowly. "They're unaware of how he escaped, it's unheard of."

Sirius' breathing was now shallow. The goddamned rat only spent a couple of weeks in prison. Sirius had suffered there for _two years_. Peter was, yet again, out and about. Did the rat even have the _brains_ to plot an escape, and so quickly? That seemed doubtful.

Sirius raked a hand through his hair irately. "Bloody hell, you're kidding me…"

"What they're wondering is what his next intentions will be. Is your home warded?" Arthur asked gravely. Sirius nodded, clenching his jaw. "Yes. It is. Even if it weren't I'd murder him with my bare hands the minute he so much as _thought_ about stepping inside."

Remus crossed the room and placed a calming hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Easy, Sirius. Peter's a coward- I don't know how he managed to escape, but he'll likely put his own survival over trying to harm Harry. He won't come near any of us as long as he realizes he's being searched for around every corner."

"I know - I'm not so much worried he'll harm anyone. I'm pissed he's still not getting what he deserves." Was it too much to ask for the man to just rot away in prison? To get the hell out of their lives forever?

Something sparked in Sirius' mind. "You're sure Peter was in prison until today?" he asked suddenly. Arthur looked at him in confusion. "Yes. He was there in the morning and gone only hours later. Why?"

Sirius crossed his arms and looked to Remus, and then glanced at the table in thought. "Never mind, no, couldn't have been Wormtail anyway. I would have known. He was less familiar…" Remus, at first looking lost, seemed to catch on. "Yes, you would have known."

Arthur looked between the two, confused. "A few days ago, I took Harry to Diagon Alley," Sirius explained to him, as he'd already informed Remus of the event, "and I caught a man watching us. Something about him was off, and I recognized him from somewhere. He ended up trying to lure Harry away while my back was turned."

"You're sure it wasn't just some loon?" asked Arthur, clearly disturbed.

"He may only have been, but... he seemed to have a special interest in us, in Harry. He must have followed us and waited for an oppurtune moment," muttered Sirius, disgusted.

"And you still can't think of who it may have been?" Remus asked, his features scrunched in concern. Sirius shook his head in frustration. "No, I can't."

"No doubt it was a Death Eater, who else otherwise would single Harry out like that," stated Arthur gravely. A small chill was sent through Sirius' body.

"Pettigrew _alone_ may not be such a threat, but with recent events I'd say that's not the case," the Weasley continued. "There's also Crouch being murdered out of the blue. That along with Peter breaking out of Azkaban so soon after his capture…" He shook his head. "We best keep strong guards up, because I don't believe we've heard the last of You-Know-Who's followers."

"What did Dumbledore seem to think about this?" Remus asked Mr. Weasley. Arthur scratched at his head. "I couldn't quite read what he was thinking- as usual. He was barely here long enough to give me the news."

Drifting away from their conversation and into his own thoughts, Sirius again raked a hand through his hair and sighed through his nose. He needed to calm himself down.

Surely getting as worked up as he'd been the past few days couldn't be healthy. Then again, what the hell kind of a week _was_ this? Learning his godson had been tossed to survive with monsters, losing trust in the man he respected the most, nearly having said godson snatched away by some creep and_ then_ being told one of the men responsible for this whole mess in the first place has escaped jail before justice could even be served...

Everything was still a frustrating mess.

A pair of still-battling red headed brothers suddenly burst noisily into the kitchen, one attempting to lasso the other using a twisted blanket. They were followed by an exasperated Molly. "Come now boys, what did I tell you! Run along upstairs for your baths."

"Sorry to get them so riled up," Remus half-grinned apologetically. Molly waved him off with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, nonsense. This is how they always are. Will you help me get the children upstairs and give the younger ones a bath, dear?" she spoke to Arthur as she shifted a sleeping Ginny on her hip. "They're too much for me to handle today…it was great of you both to play with them so much, by the way, thank you," Molly addressed both Remus and Sirius.

Remus smiled, but Sirius was still lost in thought.

"I'm sure Harry's just about fast asleep out there," Remus spoke quietly to Sirius. It took a few moments for Sirius to register what he said. "Hm? …Oh, yes, I bet he is," he agreed distractedly. "I better take him home soon…"

He made his way out to the living room, where a drowsy Harry sat on the couch, his head leaning against the arm. Sirius crouched next to him and placed his hand on the child's cheek. It was still cold.

"Let's say goodbye and thank the Weasleys, bud," Sirius said softly as he could despite his loudly pounding heart as Harry yawned. The child looked through his droopy lids to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who were attempting to herd their children up the stairs.

"Bye bye, thank you," he mumbled sleepily.

Molly, who'd been looking worrisome over the news about Peter, hid it behind a smile. "Oh no, thank _you_ dear! For giving our boys such a fun night," she told Harry kindly. "You come back soon, now."

Sirius gently hoisted Harry up with a small grunt. Instantly the boy laid his head on his godfather's warm shoulder, closing his eyes.

"Did you have fun today, Har?" Sirius asked quietly. Harry yawned loudly again and burrowed into Sirius' shoulder. "Uh huh. Ron's my new friend." Sirius gently ruffled his godson's hair with his free hand. "Yes, I know. I'm so glad."

"Can we come here again?" Harry's mumble was muffled. His eyes were already closed.

"Mhmm, we'll come back soon if you'd like," Sirius murmured distractedly, turning to Remus as his friend exited the kitchen with a small frown.

"You going to be alright?" his sandy-haired friend asked. Sirius gave a shrug. "I'm fine. Just, you know... bothered." Remus patted his shoulder and nodded.

"Everything's going to be fine. Peter will eventually get what's coming to him," Remus tried to assure his friend, leaning back to peek at Harry's sleeping face. He smiled at the child. "Looks like somebody's beat." He released Sirius' shoulder and thanked Arthur and Molly a final time before walking towards the fireplace to head home.

After himself as well thanking both of the Weasley parents for inviting him over for the evening and for dinner, Sirius stepped into the fireplace. His mind still racing as he wished everyone a last goodbye, he Flooed back to his home, none too hopeful about falling asleep as easily as Harry that night.


End file.
